The Semantics of Freedom in Agoraphobic Patients: An Empirical Study

This study aimed to empirically test the clinical theory, common to constructivist and constructionist psychotherapeutic approaches, that the semantics of freedom (i.e. bipolar constructs regarding the dimension of meaning “free/constrained”) are psychologically linked to agoraphobia. Repertory grid technique was used to elicit constructs from 30 agoraphobic patients and from a matched control group of patients suffering from other psychological disorders, and the two sets of constructs were compared in terms of their semantic content. Results confirm the hypothesis, suggesting that freedom semantics seem to be prevalent in agoraphobia both in terms of frequency and in terms of importance. These results and their limitations are discussed in relation to their clinical applications and in light of the methodological issues arising from the study.